Do Yellow Taxi Drivers Get Black Car Fund Benefits?

Not for taxi work. The Black Car Fund (BCF) covers drivers for injuries on jobs dispatched by its Member Bases: black car, luxury limousine and app companies like Uber and Lyft. Yellow taxis are not dispatched by member bases, and the Fund says street hails are not covered. Taxi drivers aren't left with nothing, though: TLC's taxi driver bill of rights says you may file for workers' compensation if hurt while working as a taxi driver, and TLC rules require medallion owners to keep workers' comp coverage or an exemption on file.

This is general information, not legal or insurance advice.

Who the Black Car Fund covers

The BCF FAQ lists the drivers it treats as eligible:

Eligible Drivers are drivers affiliated with a Member Base of The Fund and include drivers for the following categories: Franchise and Co-Op Traditional Black Car Bases, Luxury Limousine Bases, High-Volume For-Hire Vehicle Bases, Transportation Network Companies, Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT).

Yellow taxis and green cabs are not on that list. TLC's own rules match: rule 59B-12(b) in Chapter 59 requires black car bases, luxury limousine bases and high-volume services to join the Fund. It says nothing about medallion taxis.

Where each driver's workers' comp comes from

Both taxi bill-of-rights posters, for fleet drivers and for driver-owned vehicles, say the same thing: "Drivers may file for Worker's Compensation if injured while working on the job as a taxi driver." The posters don't name the insurer. Rule 58-14 of Chapter 58 requires an owner to "comply with all provisions of the New York State Workers' Compensation Law" and to keep "a current Certificate of Workers' Compensation Coverage, or a Valid exemption" on file with TLC. To find out who covers your medallion, ask the owner or agent for the certificate, or contact the NYS Workers' Compensation Board.

If you drive a taxi and also drive for an app

The BCF follows the job, not the driver. Its FAQ says you are "covered for an injury that occurred on a job while dispatched by ANY Member Base of The Fund." So:

• hurt during an Uber or Lyft trip → BCF coverage may apply;
• hurt during a yellow taxi shift → not BCF; look to the taxi side (above).

The free Drivers Benefits program (dental, vision, telemedicine, accident disability and more) has its own test. According to the Drivers Benefits eligibility page, a TLC-licensed driver must be registered as a driver for a black car service and have driven passengers at least 20 hours in the past 30 days to qualify at first, then keep up a monthly average based on TLC driving-hours data. The test is written for driving for a black car service; the page doesn't say that taxi hours count, so ask the Drivers Benefits support team (1-833-814-8590) if you split your time.

What to do next

Related: Black Car Fund claim guide, does the BCF cover street hails, am I covered by the Black Car Fund, how much BCF workers' comp pays, does the BCF pay for car damage, Black Car Fund, black car, can I drive while on workers' comp and the rights topic.